Add to List of Must – See Places in Northern Minnesota

I'm always interested in seeing what cool and new places I can check out.  This one would be worth the drive to the North shore.  Either do a day trip, or take a weekend and go exploring for a bit.  Might be a great idea to do when the Fall colors are in full force.

The place I'm talking about this time is Butterwort Cliffs.  And they just reopened to the public a couple of weeks ago. They are normally closed every year between April 1 to July 15th.  The reason is because this area is considered a bird sanctuary.

Little Ergo Bay and the Butterwort cliffs are the nesting spot for a colony of Herring Gulls and Peregrine Falcons. Dozens can be seen flying around the bay and perched on all levels of the basalt cliff rocks. Bald Eagles have been known to nest here as well. 

There also some endangered flowering plants that can be seen in this area.  Those plants include the Alpine Butterwort (which is also what the cliffs are named after) and it is considered as endangered in Wisconsin, but just a "special concern" in Minnesota.  This is according to the Northshore explore Minnesota website.  

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This area in particular does not have any trails to hike through.  Cascade River State Park is nearby and sometime will have some interpretive walks through the area, and exploring on your own isn't recommended. But it's fun to take some great pictures from afar, or as close as you can get without disturbing any of the wildlife.